#WorkingFromHome Solutions with Microsoft Teams

a laptop with the microsoft logo on it

Staying home together can be a challenge when it comes to staying connected and apart. Many small to mid-sized businesses are feeling the anxiety of the #WorkFromHome life, just as many employees struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy and minimal disruption to their departmental teams. Business owners can use technology to ensure processes continue to run smoothly during COVID-19.

Microsoft Teams is the essential remote worker’s suite for empowering companies and keeping colleagues connected.

All-In-One Platform

One of the biggest fears many companies harbor is the loss of productivity during this difficult time. The idea of transitioning an entire company to working remotely on minimal notice is a daunting undertaking. With the looming uncertainty and adjustment to new operating procedures, profit loss seems inevitable. Busy companies can’t afford a day off, let alone an undefined furlough.

Now that we’ve covered the doom and gloom, it’s time to look at the vast opportunities this “new normal” presents. There’s no need for productivity to drop off due to transitioning to a remote office. Remote work has been on the rise with many of the top-growing companies over the past few years. The key to success lies in the right tools.

Microsoft Teams eliminates the learning curve by keeping new technology simple. The user-friendly, all-in-one platform centralizes software, CRM databases, spreadsheets, messaging, and more in a secured Cloud based location. 

The result? Reduced employee downtime.

According to the Forrester Study: The Total Economic Impact of Microsoft Teams, “having resources available online in Teams reduces downtime by 14.6 percent.” This allows for streamlined compliance and security while keeping your business on the upward growth curve.

Collaboration Made Simple with Microsoft Teams

The benefits of a dynamic team are often erroneously linked to a shared, brick-and-mortar office. The reality is that it’s quite common for key executive members to operate on a long-distance basis, with flexible hours and remote work quickly becoming the best way to attract high-quality talent. 

Teams makes collaboration a snap with easy documentation, screen sharing, data exchange, and personable communications. In fact, a recent Forrester Study found that “information workers were able to save 4hrs/wk through improved collaboration and information sharing.” This leaves extra hours to catch up on backlogged projects.

The fast, real-time environment of Teams allows businesses to hold morning meetings, schedule conferences with core clients and investors, and check in anytime, anywhere. If your company is growing fast, there’s no reason to pump the brakes quite yet. Interviews are simple and timely via Teams, allowing multiple executive members to be a part of the process.

Best of all, Teams keeps your company together. The sense of camaraderie between our colleagues has never been more needed. Support your staff during this difficult time by fostering a culture of positivity and teamwork.

Budget Friendly for Reduced Overhead

Maintaining fiscal responsibility is more vital now than ever. There’s no need to invest in high-tech solutions to keep your company running from home. Microsoft offers a range of affordable Office 365 and Microsoft 365 options depending on your company’s needs. Best of all, Microsoft Teams is proud to feature small business solutions. If you aren’t looking to purchase a bundled option, the basic app for Teams is free to download and can host up to 300 members.

In addition, travel costs were greatly reduced, freeing up overhead expenses. The Forrester Study found that “an average of 150 overnight trips [were] replaced with online meetings by year 3 [of implementation].”

We know the current state of #WorkingFromHome has yielded a lot of uncertainty, but in the transition to remote work, innovative, new opportunities are being discovered every day. Your friends at Bluwater Technologies are here to support our business clients now more than ever with on-demand IT services for small businesses.

Contact our experts for more COVID-19 guidance and tips on transitioning your office to a robust remote workforce.

How to Make Windows 10 Look Like Windows 7

a napkin with writing on it next to a cup of coffee

The old adage, “The more things change, the more they stay the same” is rarely found in the world of information technology. One of the great aspects of technology, however, is that the field is constantly coming up with exciting new innovations. While new developments may introduce features ranging from critical to some interesting new bells and whistles, it can be frustrating for employers who feel they have to constantly re-train their staff to do the same tasks in a different way, every time a new operating system or some other type of technology comes to the market.

Since change is inevitable, especially with operating systems, one of the ways to make a transition as easy as possible is to find ways to make a new operating system have at least some of the look and functionality of the previous operating system. In this post, we will outline several tips on how to help a Windows 7 user cross over to the newer Windows 10 OS.

Start at the Beginning

Of course, it helps if everything begins at the Start Menu and Windows 10 does just that. Windows 7 users will note that Microsoft attempted to blend the best of both worlds, with some of the features of the old Windows 7 Start Menu, along with new “tiles” which work very similarly to app icons found on smartphones. For those who really want their Windows 10 Start Menu to function in the same manner as Windows 7’s, the Open Shell program found here does a great job of replicating the Windows 7 Start Menu.

File Explorer

Windows 7 users will be relieved to find the Windows 10 File Explorer remains essentially unchanged from Windows 7, although there are some minor differences. Windows 7 users who want to replicate their past working environment as much as possible, might want to consider making the following change:

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. From the File Menu in the upper left corner, click on “Options”. 
  3. On the “General” tab, change “Open File Explorer to:” dropdown option to “This PC”.
  4. Click on the “Apply” button to apply the changes, then click on “Ok” to close the window.

The Windows 10 Taskbar 

The default taskbar in Windows 10 might seem a bit cluttered to a Windows 7 user. To create a cleaner look on the taskbar, simply right-click on the taskbar and uncheck items such as “show Cortana button” or “show Task View button”. The Microsoft Store icon can also be removed by right-clicking on it, then selecting “Unpin from Taskbar”.

The Wallpaper

Some people want to feel really at home on their computer screen and don’t want to give up even their Windows 7 wallpaper. Luckily, they don’t have to. Simply select one of the familiar Windows 7 wallpapers from the official site, here, save it, then right-click on the saved file image to set it as the wallpaper background. 

Windows 10 Overall Color Scheme

Last but not least, some Windows 7 users want their Windows 10 color scheme to reflect their old Windows 7 colors. To make this happen, perform the following steps:

  1. Right-click on a blank space anywhere on the Desktop.
  2. Click “Personalize”, then select “Colors” on the left side of the menu.
  3. Scroll down to the right side of the screen that pops up and choose the colors from “Windows colors” that look familiar.
  4. Scroll even further to see options to change areas such as “the Start, taskbar, and action center” along with the “Title bars and window borders” boxes. 

Play around with all the various colors and options to find all the familiar color components. If you would like to know more about how to smooth the transition from using Windows 7 to Windows 10, please contact us.

Office 365 vs Office 2019 – Which One is Best for Your Business?

the comparison between office 365 and office 365

When it comes to which product is superior, Microsoft’s traditional Office (2019) suite, or their relatively new Office 365 package, there is no definitive answer. Microsoft offers two options for its customers because it recognizes that a one-size-fits-all philosophy may not necessarily meet the needs of everyone in its very large audience.

In this post, we will outline some of the key features of each suite so each business can decide for itself, which package is better suited for its particular office environment.

Office 365 for Business

Office 365 is a cloud-based version of Microsoft’s suite of office products such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, plus additional business-related apps. Instead of paying a one-time license fee, buyers pay a monthly or annual subscription for use of the product. 

Some key advantages include:

  • Regular updates
  • Increased cloud-based collaboration
  • Use apps on multiple devices
  • Linking (rather than attaching) files to emails
  • Multiple subscription-level options

Microsoft Office 2019

This is Microsoft’s stand-alone version of their Office line of software applications. Buyers make a one-time purchase of the package, which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. Microsoft does offer a business version of the product and the one-time fee is good until the end of life of the product (infinite access).

Advantages of the stand-alone package include:

  • Pay only once
  • 60 days of free support
  • Tried and true classic office applications

Generally speaking, Microsoft’s Office 2019 software is a good choice for very small businesses — typically less than 5 employees. As a stand-alone product, there is a fee attached to each copy of the software so if you have 3 machines using Office 2019, you’ll have 3 licenses. For slightly larger companies who use other cloud-based applications, Office 365 may be a better choice. It certainly offers more on-the-go flexibility by allowing the use of the app on multiple devices, as well as multiple subscription options.

If you would like to know more about how to select the right office package for your business, please contact us.

Improve Teamwork and File Collaboration with Microsoft Teams

a group of people standing next to each other

Team projects frequently require regular and sometimes even intensive communication between team members. It is often difficult, however, to find the time and the meeting space to bring everyone together. This is just one of the reasons why Microsoft developed their Microsoft Teams application. Their Teams application provides an easy mechanism for project members to improve file collaboration with each other; all from the convenience of their own desk or even while on the go.

Flexible Communication 

With the Microsoft Teams collaboration hub, members can easily connect with each other for group chats to review important project documents, or they can initiate a private conversation with another team member or an external user. Microsoft Teams offers flexible communication by offering team members the choice to communicate through voice, text, or video channels. Team members can sign in anywhere, anytime, using virtually every device on the market, since Microsoft Teams can be downloaded onto a variety of devices and operating systems, including:

  • Mac
  • Android
  • iPhone
  • Windows
  • Web

File Collaboration Made Easy

Group projects typically require the use of multiple applications, along with a multitude of different file types. Microsoft Teams makes it easy for team members to view, discuss, and edit a variety of different files from applications such as:

  • Excel
  • PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Visio 

If team members need to share project documents outside of their group project, Microsoft’s Teams application allows that as well. Of course, there may be times when team members need to bring in files for review from sources other than Microsoft’s line of applications. In that case, project members can make use of their underlying SharePoint library to view non-Office files within the Teams application. 

If you want to increase efficiency and productivity in your group projects, Microsoft can make it happen with their Teams app. Contact us for details.

Top 5 Reasons to Try Office 365

a desktop computer sitting on top of a wooden desk

Originally launched October 2, 2015, Office 365 is Microsoft’s line of subscription-based Office applications, including Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access. If you’re still on the fence about signing up, keep reading to learn the top 5 reasons why you should try it.

Try Office 365

#1) Powered by the Cloud

Unlike the traditional “desktop” version, Office 365 is powered by the cloud. This means you can access your account, as well as your associated documents and files, from any Internet-connected computer. And if you happen to lose your main computer, you can rest assured knowing that your files and documents are safely stored on the cloud.

#2) Collaboration

Office 365 features an app called Planner, which allows multiple individuals to collaborate on the same document. For instance, you and other members of your team can edit the same document, with changes happening in real-time (e.g. you don’t have to refresh the document).

#3) Subscription Cost

It’s also worth noting that many small businesses will save money by choosing Office 365. Being that it’s a subscription-based service, you’ll pay a small amount each month instead of one large payment.

For pricing details, check out the official Office 365 website here.

#4) Room to Grow

Users of the desktop version of Microsoft Office often complain about the software’s inability to scale as their business grows. The new software solves this conundrum by allowing users to easily add new services, features, storage space, and more.

#5) Use on Mobile Devices

While Microsoft Office on Android and iOS supports basic editing and document creation free for personal use, you’ll need an Office 365 subscription to use the mobile app for business purposes. Furthermore, the subscription allows you to use the mobile app on screens larger than 10.1 inches.

To learn more about the software and how to get started, contact us today.